Wooten bass mystery...

Right, this is one for the Wooten geeks out there, er, that'll be me then; I have a quick question for anyone who was at the recording of the Drummers Collective 2002 DVD - because when Wooten does his cool jam with Steve Smith, "Double Espresso", he's playing his Yin Yang Fodera for the whole thing - until the end when he's suddenly playing his Fodera tenor bass - what the heck is that all about? I'm just guessing but they must have done two attempts at this tune because the majority of it is improvised - and I think they obviously did another version of it and liked the end on the second one better - then used it.

I'm just wishing they had stuck the other one in as a bonus feature on the second disc - as it's a bit irritating as not only does Vic do some cool stuff, as ever, but the quick edit makes him look like David Blaine gave him a few tips on creating the perfect illusion...

Stuff like that happens and sometimes it can be pretty hard to track down. I did a gig last Christmas going directly into a pretty crappy PA and the bass signal kept dropping out. It seemed like a dodgy lead but I had similar problems with other leads as well. I think I may have changed the battery after the gig, just in case, but it might just have been the PA channel I was plugged into.

I also remember attending a Steve Lawson / Michael Manring clinic at the Bass Centre in London and Michael's rig choked and died halfway through the first song. A quick change to Steve's rig and he was back in business - I can't remember what the cause was but I think it might have been something not securely plugged in round the back.

Mind you, if I'd been cutting together the DVD, I think I would have tried to drop in a scene of Victor putting down one bass or picking up the other, assuming there was a suitable drum solo where the switch could have happened.